If everyone was just AVERAGE, that would be 3.10 goals per game over 82 games.

Hunter and Moreau are the only ones that jump out as unrealistic, but Voynov, Loktionov and Parse should have been able to make up some of the 30 goals. Even if you cut them in half to 15 goals, combined for all 5 players, that still results in 239 goals over 82 games or 2.91 goals per game.

As I write this, the Kings currently sit at 2.26 goals per game, dead last in the entire NHL. It’s not the roster. Nobody had to have a career year or even a breakout season. It’s not just bad luck. It’s the culture that Lombardi has built through Terry Murray and AEG needs to wake up if Dean is unwilling to do so.

Do I want to see Dean go? No, I like what he has tried to build, but he is an extension of his coach and if he keeps the coach, then he is failing his players, ownership and fans.

Completely different rosters are arriving at the same place. Not once did they finish in the top half of the NHL. Do we really want another rebuild with Murray at the helm?

No one is saying that it is all Murray’s fault, but it’s easier to remove the leadership than to re-build the roster again. If Dean didn’t believe in the players, he wouldn’t be signing them to these long term contracts.

Bobby, up until game 26, we could blame Murray. At this point, the onus falls on Lombardi. If these issues still exist by game 50, Tim Leiweke is going to have to start looking in the mirror. The natives are restless. This can’t go on.

I agree that Lombardi is now the focal point and has now become the biggest problem with the Kings. Inaction is the easiest way to lose a team. Especially when the head coach is happy with the current results.

this is the 3rd or 4th article declaring what the scoring SHOULD be. The sad matter of fact is that its not. Any person who follows the NHL knows what these players are capable of producing. We know what to expect already.
As Kings fans we have the pulse of the team by simply observing them. In a previous article, its been made clear that, DL and AEG, SHOULD, be seeing the same results as we are. However it appears that they are not.
My question is…. as fans….. how many seasons, with this roster, and this coach…. will we have to watch loosing to 2nd tier teams, before we realize (that under this coaching staff) that we are the 2nd tier team?
If you sit at the table and you can’t spot the sucker… chances are, IT’S YOU!

… This article is based completely on a terrible post made by a “RobSD” that was in the Anaheim post-game thread; one of the worst posts I’ve ever read, incidentally. Just how the hell many aliases do you have here, Sydor? Or are you plagiarizing someone else’s shitty work?

I’m sad this is even designated as a response to me. Remind me not to write any more articles like my last one if I’m going to get responses like this. Christ.

“It’s not the roster. Nobody had to have a career year or even a breakout season. It’s not just bad luck. It’s the culture that Lombardi has built through Terry Murray and AEG needs to wake up if Dean is unwilling to do so.”

“Do I want to see Dean go? No, I like what he has tried to build”

… Well, which is it??? Do you not like the culture he’s built, or do you like it? You know what, scratch that. I couldn’t care less. Dislike it and like it simultaneously! Have a great time! Make up new aliases while you’re at it.

If you had any reading comprehension skills you would know that RobSD copied my post from Hammond’s blog, as he clearly stated.

You can’t even understand that Bobby could want Murray to be fired and can still hope that Murray turns the Kings around and leads them to a Stanley Cup championship. Last time I checked, Bobby doesn’t have the ability to fire Murray.
I haven’t seen anyone show how Murray’s system has been successful since the lockout. How many years of failure do we need before you acknowledge that it doesn’t work and it’s not just the players?

“Well, which is it??? Do you not like the culture he’s built, or do you like it? You know what, scratch that. I couldn’t care less. Dislike it and like it simultaneously! Have a great time! Make up new aliases while you’re at it.”

Key word that you seemed to miss is the “through Terry Murray”, if Lombardi is married to Murray, then they both need to go. I would prefer that Dean fire Murray because I like the roster that Dean has built and I would expect a new coach to get the Kings above 30th in the NHL on offense with this same roster. I don’t want another re-build with Murray at the helm and I think AEG would fire both if that is what Dean wants to do. Doing nothing would be the worst solution.

I don’t understand that when you don’t have a counter argument, you just lament and act like you are the smartest person on the planet and no one else sees what you can see.

You could ask 10 random people, including Bob and Jim, who watched the Kings-Wild game and get 9 people to say that the Kings kept it to the outside and didn’t generate enough scoring chances and you would say the complete opposite. You would claim that the Kings dominted the game and Quick lost the game for the Kings. You would probably talk about some lucky bounces the Kings didn’t get that the Wild got. You would say if the Kings played the same way every night they would be a top offense and lead the Pacific division. How close did I get? Did you see a different game than everyone else? You would forget that the score was 3-0 entering the 3rd period and the Wild just sat back knowing that they would still win.

At least you should be happy that Moreau is gone. Lombardi got rid of one of Murray’s pets and kept Loktionov and Voynov on the roster. Drewiske probably goes next when Richards comes off IR.

“If you had any reading comprehension skills you would know that RobSD copied my post from Hammond’s blog, as he clearly stated.”

… Actually what he said was “This is a post from the Insider that cannot sum it up any better….”. There was no mention of “Sydor” anywhere in his post. So yeah, tell me again about my reading comprehension. If one doesn’t go to the insider (like me), how is that person gonna know who even wrote the post?

“You can’t even understand that Bobby could want Murray to be fired and can still hope that Murray turns the Kings around and leads them to a Stanley Cup championship.”

… Oh, I know. He wants him gone but he wants him to stay, too. Makes perfect sense. How silly of me! Maybe he meant Murray should stay on as a volunteer coach after he’s fired. You know, kinda stop by in his spare time and offer a few pointers. That way, he could help turn things around AND be fired, too.

When the Kings dropped to last in the league in scoring, Bobby said Murray’s mission was accomplished. What’s there to turn around? He’s reached the pinnacle, right? I mean, he wants the Kings to lose, right?

“You would claim that the Kings dominted the game and Quick lost the game for the Kings.”

… Of course, I actually DID say that, because that’s what happened.

“You would forget that the score was 3-0 entering the 3rd period and the Wild just sat back knowing that they would still win.”

… They out-chanced the Wild in the first two periods as well. It got more lopsided in the third. I guess the Wild knew they were going to win when they took the ice. I’m glad that almighty Minnesota let the Kings have more scoring chances in the game. It’s not like the Kings earned them, or anything.

“At least you should be happy that Moreau is gone.”

… I am! Notice how I said that and not “wow bummer I wish he could have stayed on the team and turned things around.” I said he didn’t belong in the NHL and I’m glad the Kings finally realized that as well.

“… Oh, I know. He wants him gone but he wants him to stay, too. Makes perfect sense.”

Come on JT, you’re fuckin’ with us now. You can’t honestly think that believing someone should get fired based on current performance is mutually exclusive to hoping that same guy can do better. That’s the heart of myopic thinking, seeing things as mutually exclusive purely because they aren’t analogous, which is what you are doing on this point.

“… Of course, I actually DID say that, because that’s what happened.”

Did you listen to the radio or watch on TV? No one from any broadcasting team thought the Kings played well, the same guys who defend the Kings to their last breath were out of excuses for that game. My friend sits behind Jim Fox, said he saw Fox bury his face in his hands in exasperation on several occasions as a result of the Kings’ play that game. The shot total of that game meant absolutely nothing. The Kings were able to squeeze out a couple of goals ONLY once Minnesota let off the gas. The goals to start the first and second period were as much as result of the Kings coming out of the dressing room looking like fucking zombies as they were about Quick letting in a softie.

The Kings looked absolutely listless for the first 5 minutes of each period, and then managed to gain some confidence and throw some pucks at the net.

Why are you completely ignoring 1/4 of each of the first two periods? It’s all well and good when the team plays well, but it means much less to play well after you’ve played like dog shit immediately before than it does to come out of the gate and play well. Exhibit A – Minnesota. They started off well and then didn’t need to play as well because they got AHEAD of the game. The Kings put themselves behind the 8 ball right away in two periods, and had to play catch-up. Well catch-up only works against shitty teams or teams who get too cocky, neither of which apply to Minnesota.

And the key here is THE TEAM put themselves behind the 8-ball. Not Quick. THE TEAM. Quick is included in that to be sure, but to single him out like the team played well in front of him when he gave up those goals is flat out wrong.

Let me help with an analogy JT. You are unnecessarily an ass most of the time but I wish you were not and I hope you won’t be an ass in the future. Now, tell me that is crap and I think you are an ass all the time and I hope you never change.

Meaning what you say and hoping for positive change are not mutually exclusive. I can dislike what you do and still wish that you would do better. I can believe Murray is not the right coach and still hope he becomes one. I am disappointed you cannot see this. I think you are being stubborn, which is one of your positive (and coincidentally negative) attributes. I am sure I am not the first person to tell you that.

… This is all predicated on just the shots on goal. And, that’s fine. It WAS pretty even in the first two periods, I suppose.

But if you look at shots directed at the net and time spent in the offensive zone – it’s a mismatch. The Kings directed 98 shots at the Minnesota net. The Wild directed 44 at the Kings’ net. That’s domination. If the Kings do that, they’re going to win games more often than not.

In the last meeting between the Kings and the Wild, the Kings directed 61 shots at Minnesota’s net. The Wild directed 42 shots at the Kings’ net. The Kings won, 5-2.

I find it pretty funny that the only reason the Kings had chances and goals in the game is because Minnesota let them. That’s so nice of the Wild, pitying us like that. Who says it’s all cutthroat in the NHL?

And to respond in some other areas – honestly, I don’t care about the circumstances under which the soft goals were given up. They shouldn’t have been given up. Period. If Jonathan Quick is the bestest goalie in the universe and is apparently stealing all or most of the Kings wins, he needs to stop those shots. he’s had a poor couple games in a row, and if he’s going to get all of the accolades when he’s on his game, he needs to take the heat when he’s not.

Goaltending is a funny position. Speaking from experience, it’s mostly between the ears. It’s difficult to stay in the zone for long stretches of time. That is why rest and regrouping helps. That is why Murray not playing Bernier more hurts Quick in more ways than just wearing him out – it also hurts Bernier because he cannot develop a rhythm and fucks up the goaltending in general because one does not “push” the other – I know goalies look like good friends out there, stick tapping each other and exchanging smiles but it is an intensely competitive position – the words “that is my net” is a literal one.

How many shots were directed from the scoring zone? Just because the Kings threw more shots from the edge and blue line doesn’t mean they had a chance of going in.

I don’t think anyone is saying that Quick had a good game, he was clearly below average, but wouldn’t it be nice if the team could come back and score some goals?

I don’t think anyone said that the Wild just felt like giving the Kings their chances, but they clearly went into a shell in the third period since it was 3-0.

I think this is a hard game to truly critique because of the quick goal against, we know that the Kings don’t play well from behind. Murray wants his team to sit back and take advantage of mistakes, but as soon as it becomes 1-0 against, the other team doesn’t have to take as many chances and the Kings have to generate their own chances and they struggle with that, for whatever reason you want to pick. It’s a fact that they struggle to score goals.

I’m still waiting for the evidence that Murray’s offensive system works post lockout.

Wit a minute guys! Dean did something! He got rid of Moreau! Can’t you see?! All of our problems are now over, in one little move! Now Murray has to play Lewis, and or Richardson! Now he has to put someone with a bit of talent on the powerplay (probably Hunter! He scored that goal last night!)!! Yay! Thanks Dean, you are a genius!

It’s getting a bit frosty in here.
Well Sydor, just to bring in a bit of cheer, I did very much enjoy your line “I would prefer that Dean fire Murray because I like the roster that Dean has built and I would expect a new coach to get the Kings above 30th in the NHL on offense with this same roster.” That’s good. Seriously. I was thinking, wow what if there were more than 30 teams in the nhl. Wonder if they could go further south.

Anyway, the whole thing is just becoming plain sad is all.

Also, everyone has theories. We all do. But at the end of the day, I honestly feel as though there are Several issues holding back the team. Not just the coaching. And while I’m not savvy enough to state exactly what they are, and I’m sure a coaching change would help, I’m still not convinced that that in and of itself will completely turn the ship around as much as it needs to be turned around.

I do however still know as most everyone does, that the team has some very strong pieces in place. Thankfully.

It doesn’t matter whether ESPN knows what Hockey is in the first place. National media pressure does amount to something and you damn well better believe the Kings take notice. They gather news stories about themselves every single day and make packets for their staff to digest. I can guarantee you that they are aware of that article.

Once those start adding up to more and more articles, the people in power start to get annoyed that they are being presented in a bad light by important media, not critically acclaimed media, important, which means widely distributed.